Lost Star: That Same Beautiful Song...
by SplashTOMATO
Summary: *complete!* Taito, continuation of the Lost Star. Sora interferes and tries her stuff on Yama, but not as long as Taichi's around... Angst and other good Taito stuff ^_^
1. Prologue

*******  
Lost Star:  
That Same Beautiful Song  
*******  
  
Notes: Ze Taito luver's back! This is the continuation of Lost Star: Sixth Sense, which is continuation of Lost Star: Sora. You dedicated fic readers probably memorize which order all the fics you've read go.. ~_^ Sora gets a hold of manipulating powers and Matt is her target... plenty of Taito angst! This fic also switches P.O.V. a LOT...  
  
Going on, this is kind of my interpreting of what goes on during episode 38 (That X-mas eppy) and up. There are probably a lotta plot holes from what I'm writing, but most of this is from the Japanese version, so sorry if there are plot mistakes ^^;;  
  
Rated PG-13 for: Shounen-ai, pottymouths, adult situations.  
  
Fic Warnings: Darkish? Some weird events involving one MEAN Biyomon, Daiken (my 2nd favorite pairing)... Taito angst... angst... but if you know me you'll know who it'll end ^_^  
  
And uh... this has a really crappy beginning cuz you know how all the ultimate level Digimon talk all cheesy-ish in American version? Ikes...  
  
Amazingly, this isn't a songfic, but there are two songs that play a key role, both were mentioned in the fic before this: Taichi's first image song: Yuuki wo Tsubasa ni Shite (I'll Turn My Courage Into Wings), and Yamato's second image song: Negai Kanaeru Kagi (The Key to Granting Wishes). And well, here's the translated lyrics to Negai Kanaeru Kagi, kinda fits with this fic (credit Gijinka Wormmon of Megchan's board for these! Thankies!)  
  
We first met walking on our own paths  
Everyone holds something different in their hearts  
Next to feeling of fighting is a heart that can become weak  
My team will be there then, I won't forget it  
  
What can you do now without using your hidden weapon!?  
Isn't it okay to make a racket?  
Don't be afraid, you should go on honestly  
  
The key to granting wishes is in these hands  
The door to the unknown is right before my eyes  
It's good to believe in burning heartbeats  
A new world is opening up  
  
You can do a lot of things, even if you're worried, it can't be helped  
If we really understand each other, then it's okay to stop  
Even when I don't want to hear complaints and I won't give up, I'm not getting anywhere  
If everyone becomes one, we'll become bigger  
  
What will you use your best trump card on!?  
Isn't it okay if you don't look good?  
Don't look back, you should go on without getting lost  
  
They key to granting wishes is now in my hands  
The door to the unknown is right there  
I'll aim for the things that I want to find  
My world is opening up  
  
The key to granting wishes is in these hands  
The door to the unknown is right before my eyes  
It's good to believe in burning heartbeats  
A new world is opening up  
  
*******  
  
" SOOOOO-RAAAAA..."  
  
Pitch blackness. The female figure in the undefined center of the blackness looked around in a confused daze. " Dare da? Who's there?"  
  
" SOOOOO-RAAAAA..."  
  
" Garudamon! That's you, isn't it?"  
  
" Sora, your power of love is weakening... it's weakening me as well..."  
  
" No kidding, you sure sound like it."  
  
The booming voice snapped. " SORA! This is no time to joke around."  
  
" I'm sorry. What's wrong?"  
  
" Your power of love... the love is strong within your family, but not within others."  
  
" What? Who do you mean specifically?"  
  
" You know EXACTLY who he is."  
  
" You mean Matt..."  
  
" Yes, Yamato Ishida has strong love capabilities, so strong that it can destroy other loves."  
  
" Destroy other loves? What?"  
  
" His love for another being is destroying your love, Sora, and your love affects my strength. At this rate, I'll vanish soon..."  
  
Sora was surprised with Matt having love, but more importantly... " No, Garudamon, you can't vanish! I'll do whatever I can to make sure you don't! But what can I do?"  
  
" You must gain Matt's love in order to restore my strength. Ugh..." a strange warp sound echos in the blackness. " I'm already down to Birdramon... Matt must have done some serious loving..."  
  
" Who's the person that he loves right now, Birdramon?"  
  
" I honestly don't know. Take this, Sora."  
  
A box formed out of thin air and landed in Sora's awaiting arms. She began to unwrap it, when-  
  
" No, the present is for Matt. Give it to him as a Christmas Present. Once opened, a magical spell will be released. The spell changes the course of time completely. From that moment on, the world will continue on going through life, except for certain things. Matt will completely forget about the love he had for the previous being and the love will be for you. The person he previously loved will forget their love as well. Nobody will know that the spell had been cast, not even yourself. Can you do this for me?"  
  
" For you, Birdramon, anything. And this way I can have Matt, too."  
  
" Good. I'm counting on you, Sora." 


	2. Realization

" Yuuki wo tsubasa ni shite..."  
  
" Tai!" Matt chuckled," As much as I love hearing your singing voice, wait until we finish the concert before you teach me, okay?  
  
" Haii~ii," Tai said, sounding like a schoolkid automaton. " But take a copy of the music sheets, okay? Maybe you can get a little headstart." He handed the blonde some sheets of paper, who put them in his guitar case.  
  
Agumon and Gabumon were having their own chat in another corner of the band dressing room. It was great having them back in the real world... " Know what? I need to go to the bathroom."  
  
" It's all the way on the other side of the stadium, Agumon," Matt replied.  
  
" I'll go with you, Agumon. Don't want you to get lost!" said Tai.  
  
" Hmph," the Digimon grunted, " Are you sure you won't get lost yourself?"  
  
Tai winked. " At least people won't freak out if I ask them for directions." He got up and scooped up his blue and yellow paw print coat off Matt's chair. He opened the door was about to step out, when he was suddenly grabbed and drawn into a tight, passionate kiss...  
  
" Whoa, what was that for?" Tai said when they pulled back.  
  
Matt just looked back in awe. " I... I'm not quite sure... There's just something... wanting me to..." he pulled Tai into a crushing hug, not wanting to let go for some strange reason. He smelled the rich scent of Tai's ruthless hair and buried his head in it, his nose brushing against the headband Tai had begun wearing again. " Just remember that I love you, all right?"  
  
" Matt, it's okay, I'm just going for a few minutes, it's not like you'll miss me for weeks or something..."  
  
Tai moved out of the hug and continued out the door, leaving Matt still wondering why he had done what he had done.  
  
If only he had held on to that embrace longer...  
  
****  
  
Gosh, it's so hard to keep her convinced even after all those dream talks... And now I'm down to Biyomon...  
  
" Sora, you remember why you're here, right?"  
  
" Yeah, but..."  
  
There she goes again! Doubting herself... sigh...  
  
" Hey, Sora, what's up?"  
  
" Tai..."  
  
Hmm.. Tai... this might make things interesting...  
  
The door opens, is it Matt? That would quicken the pace...  
  
Ack. Damn, Gabumon...  
  
" Hi, everyone! What's that you got there, Sora, is it food?"  
  
Agumon perks up. " Did somebody say food?"  
  
" Is that for Matt?" Tai asks.  
  
There's a slight look of worry on the boy's face. I wonder if he... and Sora...  
  
" Well, maybe..." Sora blushes.  
  
Tai gives a somewhat sly smile. " Sora, are you shaking?"   
  
" What? No, I'm just cold..."  
  
Gabumon smiles slightly. " You wanna come in?"  
  
I know what her reply is going to be, so I step in the conversation " Sora's been standing out here for a while now just fidgeting around." I add a slight giggle to the end of my sentence for effect.  
  
" Gese, Biyomon!" she shoots back, trying to shut me up.  
  
A pause between the group. Tai's worry is hard to not notice now. " Hurry up and give it to him. The concert's starting soon."  
  
I solely agree with Tai, hurry up, Sora!  
  
Oh great, now she's putting on the girly stance with the blushing and putting her hand to her face stuff... aw gese, just get in...  
  
I'm getting really tired of this game... it's time for some manipulation. Tai seems pretty vulnerable, maybe I can...  
  
" Hurry up and go in!" with that he lightly shoves her closer to the door. Now THAT'S better. That was a lot easier than I thought.  
  
Sora looks back at Tai. " Yeah, but..." Nooooooo, go in, GO IN!  
  
" If you don't give it to him we'll have to eat it!" Agumon cheers, flailing his arms.  
  
Sora relaxes and smiles. " All right, then. I'll be inside for a while." And with that she finally walks in... PHEW.  
  
" Good luck, Sora." I lose my control over him in that instant, but he won't remember a single thing about saying those kind of words in the end.  
  
" Tai..."  
  
Tai grunts a," huh?" and looks down at Agumon.  
  
" Since when did you act so mature?"  
  
He lets out an exasperated sigh. " Baka."  
  
" MOVE IT!!! GIVE ME A BIT OF SPACE!!!!"  
  
Eh? Wait, who's that woman coming over here? Her hair's as messy as Tai's, just more zigzagged... Ah, I can feel myself losing energy. No, I don't wanna be Yokomon, I don't wanna be Yokomon...  
  
****  
  
~The key to granting wishes is in these hands~  
  
I'm doing this for Biyomon, I'm doing this for Biyomon...  
  
No. Wait. Not just for Biyomon. I really DO want him to be with me. And now... my wish can come true.  
  
" Hey, Matt, I got you a Christmas present."  
  
He jerks his head in my direction, obviously surprised that I was there. A smile forms on his face, but is soon replaced with a confused look, and if I'm not mistaken, disappointed. Well, after today, you won't ever be disappointed from seeing me again...  
  
" Oh... uh... thanks."  
  
He gently takes the gift from me, and blinks at it for a while, then looks back at me. Gosh, he's so cute in that black outfit...  
  
~The door to the unknown is right before my eyes~  
  
" Go on, open it!"  
  
~It's good to believe in burning heartbeats~  
  
He hesitates for a long while, and I almost suspect that he knows what's inside.  
  
But the red ribbon starts coming off and the next moment the lid is opened...  
  
~A new world is opening up...~  
  
****  
  
" And now, presenting... the Young Wolves!"  
  
The chilly night air blows through my sweater as I stand up to cheer for my best friend. Gabumon had my paw print coat over his head. Hundreds of other voices flooded the stadium, hooting and screaming. I never knew Matt's band was so popular...  
  
A low guitar starts the song...  
  
" 1, 2, 3, 4!!!!!!"  
  
Whoa. Talk about awesome first impressions.  
  
I glance over at Sora, who seems to be immersed in Matt's singing. I can't believe those two had been dating for so long... I had no idea those two were even FRIENDS... Really, they hardly interacted with each other in the Digital World and Matt was in America for the majority of the time we were back in the real world.  
  
" Negai Kanaeru Kagi..."  
  
I couldn't help but feel somewhat jealous of Sora... whoops, I mean Matt...  
  
Izzy, Tentomon, Joe and Gomamon behind started giggling... keh, who know's what they were gossiping about.  
  
All of the sudden, the microphone gave an unusual ring and the guitar solo started... though... I didn't remember a time when guitars sounded so distorted...  
  
" This music's kinda weird..." Sora commented.  
  
Matt was glancing in all sorts of different directions, probably noticing it as well.  
  
" Definitely weird..." I agreed. Then...  
  
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIII~ING! A deafening microphone blast forced us to cover our ears and wince.  
  
STOMP! The back curtains of the stadium were torn apart by... Darktyrannomon? WHAT?!?  
  
People instantly began screaming and fleeing for their lives. As if enough Godzilla-ish accidents didn't happen in Japan...  
  
To my right I saw Jun in her "Yamato" coat and pom-poms in her hands (pom-poms?!? sigh...), her female friend cowarding behind her. Time to take action...  
  
" Agumon, digivolve!"  
  
The yellow dinosaur ends up failing, " I can't!"  
  
" Why not?" I said in frustation.  
  
" Nevermind that, just run!" It didn't matter who said that. Sora, Izzy, their Digimon and Gabumon went towards the stage while Joe and I went the other. I wonder why they went TOWARDS the stage anyhow... to protect Matt, maybe? But I was sure he'd be able to take care of himself, he's that kind of guy to...  
  
I had the incredible urge to be in Sora or Izzy's position right then. It scared the heck out of me. But I had to concentrate on the overflowing crowd rushing to get out of the stadium.  
  
****  
  
Christmas night...  
  
" My God, Tai... you're..."  
  
" Uh... it's not what it looks like?"  
  
Daisuke crossed his arms. " Right, I open your bedroom door to find the both of you shirtless and uh..." he blushed.  
  
" Hey, who gave you the right to barge into my room anyhow?" I shot at him.  
  
The one who inherited my goggles jerked his head. " Actually, I'm glad I opened the door like that. I've got nothing against you two, even with what I just found out."  
  
Matt exhaled deeply, as if he had been holding his breath the entire time. " Phew. So what brings you here?"  
  
Daisuke shuffled a bit before speaking. " Remember Ken Ichijouji, that genius soccer kid I totally idolized?"  
  
" Yeah..." Matt and I said in unison.  
  
" He's officially a Digidestined now. Would you like to meet him?"  
  
" Sure." Once again, in unison.  
  
Daisuke was about to walk behind the door when I stopped him. " Hold on, is he..."  
  
" Yeah," he interrupts, " but honestly, it's not the only reason why I have nothing against you two being who you are."  
  
I grinned. The guy really has matured...  
  
Daisuke gave a relieved smile and stepped back a bit. " Ken? Your cue."  
  
The boy stepped in. The only thing that stood out to me was his hair, dark purple and not quite black. Purple...  
  
" Hajime mase ta. Ichijouji Ken desu. Yoroshiku." He made a formal bow, keeping his eyes closed. When he comes back up and opens his eyes, I saw them widen a bit larger than normal.  
  
Matt and I were still shirtless.  
  
****  
  
" Tai, wake up! We've gotta go to Izzy's pronto! He says he has some really important stuff to say."  
  
" Hhnnn? Oh..."  
  
Whoa... I just had a really weird dream... something about Matt and shirtless and Daisuke barging in my room...  
  
" Tai, you better eat your breakfast before it goes in my stomach!" Agumon shouts from the dining room.  
  
Ah, whatever, the dream probably wasn't important...  
  
" I'm comiiiiing!"  
  
****  
  
*Splash: Uh... I'm purposely making a big plot hole RIGHT here. Some MAJOR spoilers here... when I mean spoilers I mean stuff that hasn't been aired in America at the time this is posted. Agumon and the others can now digivolve into their ultimate stages, Arukenimon and Mummymon are in the real world along with bunches of other Digimon, and uh, they aren't the only bad guys. A villain by the name of Demon (the English name is Creepymon according to the cards, but maybe they'll change it again). Well, this Demon has a lotta lackeys, like Ladydevimon and Marinedevimon. And well, they're after Ken... Poor Ken!!!!! ;_; He has some Black Seed implanted in his neck after some Digimon called Milleniumon was destroyed. Oikawa shows up, and he's Arukenimon's boss, and also human. He's after Ken's Black Seed... Well, they deafeated one of Demon's more powerful lackeys, Skullsatamon (a mega), using Imperialdramon's (Imperialdramon is Paildramon when he digivolved) fighter mode (looks like a gundam or Escaflowne ^_^), Arukenimon shows up and blackmails Ken into coming with her in a truck. Ken, being the guy he is, goes with her. Daisuke, being our great Daisuke, chases after his Ken when the truck leaves, crying out his name. Oikawa is in the truck with Ken, and there he removes the Black Seed from the back of his neck. Ken DOES get back to the others (thank God) and using his black digivice, Imperialdramon FM, Silphymon, and Shakkoumon, and a HECK of a lotta willpower, he sends Demon to that dark world that comes up every so often. Are you confused? Yes? Good, cuz so am I! I'll just wait until they air the episodes here in America ^^;; Anyhow, it isn't too important to the story...  
  
****  
  
" Tai, are you in there? TAIIIIII!"  
  
Tai grumbled as he got up groggily. What was Daisuke doing in his house at... 6 'o clock in the morning? And he was having such a nice dream, too... something about cherries and whipped cream...  
  
He opened the door, and Davis burst in, followed by a serene expressioned Ken.  
  
Daisuke completely ignored the fact that Tai was wearing nothing but boxers and shouted, " Tai, what's going on here?!? Yamato-san's doing some things he really shouldn't be doing!"  
  
" What?" I replied in total confusion. I looked at Ken for some explanation, but his worry was just as great as Daisuke's. " What do you mean?"  
  
" I'm talking about him and SORA!" Daisuke's hands at his side balled into fists.  
  
" What ABOUT him and Sora? You didn't know they were going out or something?"  
  
Daisuke's face made that comical dot-for-an-eye look. He shook it off after a second.  
  
" Don't you wanna DO something about it?!?!" he spat, flailing his arms angrily.  
  
" Why should I? It's not my business..."  
  
" It IS your business, you idiot! The last time I checked, Sora was single and YOU WEREN'T!"  
  
" Huh? I don't have any clue of what you're talking about..."  
  
He could've sworn he saw steam coming out of Daisuke's ears.  
  
" Daisuke..." said Ken, " It's pretty apparent that something made him forget. We're going to have to bring it back to him."  
  
" His memory, you mean? All right, then," Daisuke rubbed his white gloved hands, then suddenly grabbed my shoulders and brought his face near. " Do you remember having any relationships with anyone?"  
  
Was it true? Was I missing something in my memory, or was this all just a sick joke? Guess I had to play along... " I remember dating Sora a few years ago, but that's it."  
  
A corner of Daisuke's lips twitched at the mention of "Sora."  
  
" You absolutely can't remember anyone else? Not even someone you WANTED to have a relationship with?"  
  
" Uh..."  
  
" Daisuke..." Ken droned in that insanely calm voice. " Let me try it using the direct approach."  
  
The goggle boy slightly jumped at Ken's touch on his shoulder. " Okay..." he let go of my shoulders and Ken replaced him.  
  
" Tai..." he paused for a long moment, contemplating what to say. " Okay... what is Matt to you, Tai?"  
  
Tai gave Ken a quizzical look. " He's my best friend. Now if you don't mind me asking, what's all this FOR?" If this really WAS a joke, he was getting quite sick of it.  
  
" What?!? None of this makes any sense!!" Daisuke furiously scratched his hair in frustration.  
  
" Daisuke, everything stopped making sense the moment your digivice fell in your hands." the raven haired one stated.  
  
Ken was right, but instead of calmind down like he usually did, Daisuke's impatience got to the better of him.  
  
" TAI! I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BURSTING IN ON YOU AND MATT MAKING OUT ON YOUR BED TODAY!"  
  
The bushy haired brunette had saucers for eyes.  
  
Thank God his parents were out of hearing range.  
  
But Kari was still around. She timidly entered the room balancing a plate of Oreos.  
  
" That's true..." she quietly said, setting down the Oreos onto a nearby desk.  
  
" Kari!" Daisuke exclaimed.  
  
" So she knows, too..." said Ken, swiftly stepping away from a shocked Tai. " Kari?"  
  
Kari gave Ken a short bow respectfully. " I found about them a little before Christmas. But lately it seems that Matt and Sora..."  
  
" Gosh, why is everyone getting so worked out about Matt and Sora going out?" said Tai, who apparently forgot about Daisuke's outbreak.  
  
All three younger kids stared at him.  
  
" Don't you have ANY clue about how unfitting those two are?!?!" They shouted in unison.  
  
Tai just sat on his rotating chair, still wearing nothing but boxers. Having three people all staring at him was really unnerving...  
  
" What?" he said, exasperated, accusing.  
  
Ken took his gaze off Tai and walked over to Daisuke, taking hold of his hand. " Come on, it's better if he figures the rest of this out for himself," he mumbled, a solemn look on his face, " We can't do anything when he's like this."  
  
Daisuke didn't move when Ken walked past him. He stayed rooted to the floor, forcing Ken to wait. When he pulled the only reaction he got was a little lazy wobble from the goggle boy, and stillness. He didn't look back. Neither of them did.  
  
" No, I've got to make him understand," Daisuke passively refused, " We've got to keep trying."  
  
" I told you, it's useless to-"  
  
" NO!"  
  
The holding hands twitch.  
  
Daisuke forced himself to calm down. " No, I won't believe that. They came through for us, it's time we came through for them."  
  
There was a long pause throughout the whole room. Tai simply had his arms behind his head, once again confused. But he was also bewildered at the sight in the middle of his room, as Daisuke and Ken stood back-to-back, heads down and their hands entertwined in the gap between them.  
  
Finally, Ken sighed.  
  
" Tai."  
  
He spoke so firmly, Tai almost fell out of his seat.  
  
" This is a last resort, but I remember hearing you sing this song during some during some of our group outings. I hope I don't get any of the words wrong..." He cleared his throat and began to sing, not letting go of Daisuke's hand...  
  
" Yuuki wo tsubasa ni shite..."  
  
The instant the first words came out of Ken's mouth, something clicked in Tai's brain. A swarm of memories overflowed Tai's mind...  
  
" I'm going to Tai's tomorrow, too."  
  
" No, I did NOT flush it down the toilet, T.K., I- hey, it's Tai! TAIIIIIII~II! Over here!"  
  
" You promise you'll teach it to me sometime, Tai?"  
  
" Hmph. Coach spoils you a lot."  
  
" Ever see the movie ' Sixth Sense?' It got me thinking a bit..."  
  
" Then take it off, silly."  
  
" Just remember that I love you, all right?"  
  
...  
  
"Donna toki datte   
Kimi wo... shinjiteru...."  
  
The last sound rang in Tai's ears, giving him one final image of the day when Matt came back to Odaiba after three years...  
  
And now he had lost him again.  
  
****  
  
To be continued...  
  
****  
  
Notes: Whoa, how depressing.... bad place to stop? Sorry, I got impatient and wanted to post something up... comments DEEPLY appreciated, especially since this isn't finished yet... I think some my interpretations of what happened in the show were kinda flimsy, but hey, the episodes aren't/weren't aired when this was posted... sooooo...  
  
Davis: And yes, PLEASE review, cuz Splash just used up two hours of time she should've been writing a 350+ word editorial about World War II...  
  
-_-;; Dang honors classes... thank God I'm not taking them next year... Someone wanna write it for me? Then I could get working on my fics again... ~_^  
  
Heh. Right...  
  
Oh yeah, if ya didn't notice, I used Davis' Japanese name cuz I like it better :P Hehe ^_^ The Daiken in this part wasn't that bad, was it? :-D  
  
Waiting for your responses... oi, after writing that I feel depressed...  
  
Splash  
http://www.zyfect.com/users/gottaito 


	3. Angst...

*******  
Lost Star:  
That Same Beautiful Song Part 2  
*******  
  
Notes: And so it continues... by the way, I forgot to mention that Tai grabbed some clothes after everybody stopped staring at him. Even someone like me can get tired of boxer Tai's ~_^ I didn't realize there was a bit of a plot hole until I finished this pic of the Daiken-ish scene: http://www.zyfect.com/users/gottaito/pics/yaoi/LostStarDaiken.htm  
  
Speaking of mistakes... I said that Skullsatamon was a mega, but actually he's an ultimate. But with all the other ultimate guys he was whipping with one hit and the fact that a really powerful mega was the only one around who could destroy him, he was a LOT like a mega... but on the other hand, I might be confusing you again! Hehe, continuing..  
  
I'll be doing more of those story inspired pics along the way, lately I've been getting lotsa inspirations ^_^  
  
*Reads a comment about how this was the worst Sorato fic ever* Uh... this is NOT a Sorato fic... I repeat NOT NOT NOT... it's ANTI-Sorato... *rolls eyes* I shall never do a Sorato fic unless I get something like piles of big bucks (then again, maybe not still...) and even Lost Star: Sora was intended to be Taito, even if I said it could have been a standalone Sorato. So to make it clear... this fic is TAI AND MATT!!!! And ANTI SORA AND MATT! If you love Sora and Matt as a couple, then you should NOT NOT NOT be here. There should be plenty of fics worth your Sorato time.  
  
*******  
  
The long silence in the room was deadly. The Oreo in Kari's hand remained uneaten, as the girl was too nervous to move.   
  
And the tears flooding down Tai's cheeks were silent even as they fell on his sweater, soaking through the soft material.  
  
And in Tai's mind... going in circles, he could make out him and Matt standing in the exact same positions Daisuke and Ken were at that exact moment, wearing their usual Digimon World outfits... but then he blinked, and a different pair stood in its place.  
  
" Oh God, oh God, Matt... oh God.. no..." he mumbled, barely registering that his lips were even moving.  
  
Daisuke finally raised his head and turned it a little to see Tai's breakdown, and then turned to Ken, who had turned around at the same time. They nodded in unison, and walked over to Tai. And stayed there, just... standing, comforting the boy with their mere presence.  
  
The tension broke as a loud ringing noise buzzed in their ears.  
  
" I'll get it," Kari said in one quick breath, taking long strides out of the room to get the phone.  
  
The three boys stayed in their places unmoved, except for Tai's occasional sniff and sob.  
  
A faint sound of something being picked up was heard. " Oh, TK! Hi!"  
  
They listened to the casual conversation between TK and Kari for several minutes, and finally...  
  
" Tai," Daisuke spoke, as firm as Ken was earlier. Tai was too busy crying to be surprised. But just the thought that he knew Matt didn't love him anymore made him cry harder, forcing him to put his arm over his face to hide it from the others.  
  
Daisuke's short temperature got to him again, as he forcefully pulled away Tai's arm and gritted his teeth. " TAI!"  
  
The brunette gave a little squeak and stared back at Daisuke with forlorn, wet eyes.  
  
" You ARE going to do more besides mope... right?" There was a gentle, hopeful smile on Daisuke's face, lighting up his better features.  
  
Tai sniffled again and mustered up the best optimistic answer he could. " Don't worry, I won't give up that easily, Daisuke."   
  
That got him an even greater smile.  
  
" Would you like to go on a walk with us, Tai? Maybe grab a few somethings to eat?" said Ken, seeming rather pleased with the response himself.  
  
' Probably a good idea,' Tai thought, ' maybe I'll be able to come up with a plan of some sort...'  
  
" Sure, lemme get my coat," Tai replied, reaching for the paw print coat on his desk. ' Then again... I like the trench coat better.' He grabbed the black one instead. ' Sorry, Coach, but I can't go advertising our team ALL the time...'  
  
Ken wrapped his scarf around his neck, and Daisuke put on his jacket. They went ahead out the door, immediately enganging in TK and Kari's phone conversation.  
  
" Bouquet of carnations? Gosh, T.V., I didn't know you did all the honky-dori dating stuff like that..."  
  
" Hey, stop making fun of T.V- T.K.!"  
  
" He got you there, Kari." Ken smirked. " It must be contagious."  
  
And on the other line, " I am NOT an electric tube!"  
  
As Tai stuck his arm through one of the coat sleeves, he spotted something that caught his eye in one of the top drawers of his desk. After a little bit of struggle with his other arm, he opened the shelf further out of curiousity. There lay that picture he had found the day Matt came back to Odaiba after three years...  
  
Feeling his eyes water again, he tore his eyes away from the picture, slamming the drawer shut and walking away.   
  
' I've found you before, Yama, and I'm sure I can find you again, but this time you'll have to LET me find you...'  
  
****  
  
Now that Tai had all his memory back some great suspicions came up. Besides the obvious plot hole on how Matt had suddenly turned to Sora without Tai intervening, there were other things. After that Christmas day, Matt never had an outing of ANY kind with Tai, not even a friend-friend outing... was all his time THAT occupied because of Sora? Any thoughts after that just sickened him.  
  
" Tai, yoohoo!"  
  
He blinked and looked at the slightly shorter one wearing his goggles.  
  
" What flavor ya want?"  
  
" Uh... French vanilla." He winced. He shouldn't have said that...  
  
" God, what a blant flavor..." Daisuke curled an eyebrow, then turned to the clerk, " You heard him, dude."  
  
If anything, the college-aged man behind the cash register was happy to be called informally. " That'll be $7.79," he said, his voice scratchy with early-morning-work fatigue.  
  
Daisuke began to relieve himself of a 10 dollar bill in his pocket, but Ken grabbed the hand away before the clerk could do anything.  
  
" Ken-!"  
  
With his other hand, Ken pulled out some bills and coins from his own pocket and gave them to the clerk.  
  
The clerk graciously took the money, feeling somewhat shameful for even glancing at the hand where the 10 dollar bill was. He counted it, stuffed them in the cash register and closed it with a ring. " Would you like the receipt?"  
  
Ken had his usual tranquil face on. " No thank you." The clerk gave him a wide smile and briefly left to get their ice cream.  
  
Daisuke looked at him in slight awe. " You gave him exact change?" Ken let his hand go, allowing the him to quickly stuff the bill back to its original place, only to put his hand back in Ken's, " You never cease to amaze me, Ichijouji."  
  
The clerk came back with three cones, somewhat taken back from the sight before him, but nevertheless still cheerful. Exact-change giving geniuses were sure great to have as customers...  
  
Tai came up and silently took his cone, and Daisuke and Ken took theirs with their free hands.  
  
" Now you boys have a good day, all right?"  
  
Daisuke tipped his head in a nod and led the way out, not noticing the other people staring at him as a well known child genius held his hand and a sulking puffy-haired high schooler followed.  
  
They walked down the pavement of the downtown area for a while, merely eating their ice cream. Daisuke and Ken ate quickly assuming that it would melt, even though it was a rather cold day. They spotted Tai taking slow, small licks out of his ice cream. If that didn't signal his melancholy, the distant gaze in his eyes said it all.  
  
" So, Tai, not to be nosy or anything, but why FRENCH VANILLA?" Daisuke asked, simply to break the silence barrier.  
  
Tai flickered his gaze in Daisuke's direction, then went back to looking at his cone. " Matt."  
  
" Hmm?" Daisuke stuffed the remaining bits of cone down his throat.  
  
" I think it was just out of instinct or something..." he continued, " he always got this flavor when we went to get icecream... he said it was because regular vanilla was too plain and chocolate was too tasteful, but French vanilla was..." a pause, and Tai's eyes narrowed farther than ever. " just right..."  
  
The grip on the cone became loose and gravity pulled it down, causing it to spill its cream colored contents on the sidewalk. The two other boys rushed to his aid as he lost all feeling in his knees and broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.  
  
" He's gone for good! *Sniff*... this is worse than... when he was out of Odaiba..."  
  
Daisuke could feel his goggles drooping. What did the poor guy do to deserve this?  
  
" You know what, this is really killing ya, and I don't like to see you this way," Daisuke groaned, supporting Tai by one arm while Ken had the other, " We're going to do something about this RIGHT NOW."  
  
" W...wha?"  
  
" You heard us!" Daisuke exclaimed, " We're bringing Matt over to your house even if I have to drag him there myself!"  
  
" Daisuke..." Tai uttered in awe.  
  
" Don't worry, Tai, we'll have things back to the way they should be in no time!"  
  
The way they should be... of course! It's not like Matt would just forget about Tai completely...  
  
Tai, fully motivated from Daisuke's offer, instantly stopped sobbing and got back on his feet. " I should talk some sense into him, shouldn't I?"  
  
" Now THAT'S the optimistic Tai I'm looking for!" Daisuke chirped. " Let's go, go, GO!!!!"  
  
****  
  
The phone was ringing when I came back from work. Wearily, I picked it up. TV station work was such a killer, but at least it was so much better than what my other job was...  
  
" Ishida residence."  
  
" Hey, Mr. Ishida, is Matt there?"  
  
" Yeah, just hold on a sec, Tai."  
  
After hearing a short mumble of approval, I put down the phone. My feet carried me to my son's room, and I softly knocked on the closed door. " Matt, Tai's on the phone."  
  
" Yeah... and?"  
  
Wha? Why would he say something like that?  
  
" He wants to talk to you," I replied, speaking as if the answer was obvious... which was true.  
  
" Oh... uh..." I heard some shuffling behind the door, a bit a scrambling, and... " Got it, dad!"  
  
Something was definitely up, so I decided to stick around and eavesdrop. Sure, I know it was rude to listen in on my son talking to his... boyfriend, but hey, curiousity has its influences.  
  
" Your place? Today? Uh...."  
  
By the sounds of it, he was being invited to Tai's house to have... fun. I chuckled silently to myself. Guess I'm still immature in that way. Matt was always so enthusiastic when it came to Tai. He'd jump at any opportunity to be with him for any length of time. Wait a second! Was I going deaf or was he hesitating?  
  
" I guess..."  
  
He guesses? He GUESSES?!?!?! Wha-what?  
  
" I just need to go to Sora's for a bit and I'll be there, all right?"  
  
BINGO! DING, DING! Why didn't I see it sooner? Why didn't I expect it when I saw him walking to school with that woman? My son and Sora... just wasn't... right...  
  
It wasn't because I disliked Sora or her parents or anything, I respect them all. However, Matt and Tai shared an undying bond that was nearly impossible to describe. The way they seemed to understand each other so well, the way they looked out for each other... it made me wonder what had happened to them in the Digiworld that made their relationship so strong.  
  
And now... what's going on?  
  
****  
  
" So how'd it go?" Daisuke said as the brunette stepped into the room.  
  
" He said he had to make a quick stop to Sora's place and then he'd be here."  
  
Daisuke's eyes narrowed in disgust.  
  
" God DAMN that woman," he muttered, " She's worse than Jun! WAY worse..."  
  
Tai's eyes ventured in Daisuke's general direction as he sat back down on his chair, stomach heaving on the back part of the seat. " What does Jun think of all this? Does she know?"  
  
" That's how I found out in the first place."  
  
" Isn't she mad at all?"  
  
" She was disappointed, but she suddenly gave up and started stalking one of Joe's older brothers."  
  
The brunette's eyes quirked. " Joe's--nevermind, I don't wanna know."  
  
" I didn't think so," Daisuke replied.  
  
With nothing else to say, an awkward silence followed.  
  
" So..." Ken spoke, " What do you plan to say to him?"  
  
The brunette gave him a long, glowering stare. What do you say to a guy in that kind of a situation? The coldness in Matt's voice was just too painful to hear.  
  
" I don't know... I honestly don't know..."  
  
****  
  
To be continued...  
  
****  
  
End Notes: A bit shorter than what I wanted to, but I wanted to release something just to make sure people know I'm still alive and WELL! Homework really stressed me out, and I'm still kinda stressed with the piano competition coming up in a couple weeks ;_; Well, at least the mood is kinda good for the fic writing...  
  
Please R+R! I REALLLLLLY REALLLLLY REALLLLY enjoy constructive comments, suggestions, etc... ^_^  
  
Splash  
http://www.zyfect.com/users/gottaito 


	4. Confrontation

*******  
Lost Star:  
That Same Beautiful Song Part 3  
*******  
  
Notes: Angtsy Taito continues! Eheheh, more totally O.O.C Biyomon... And yeah, I'm aware that the real Sora wouldn't do something this cruel, but this is MY Sora!  
  
... UGH, did I just say that? I don't want a Sora! *shoos away*  
  
And if I REALLY had it my way she wouldn't be in Digimon in the first place, but this is one of those, "interpretation of what REALLY happened in the show," fics! And when I say that I'd put Sora into a different Anime. That way the Sora fans can still be happy and I won't be affected... hopefully ~_^ Hey, it could happen! They've already done it with Yamato, he's in an Anime series called Dr. Rin... he's got the same looks there, the same voice actor, and the same God-friggin sexiness... But other than seeing the opening and getting some info from Megchan's board, I don't know more about the guy ;_;  
  
And more references to the actual Lost Star Taito Doujinshi... if you haven't seen/read it, once again the URL is http://www.zyfect.com/users/gottaito/loststar.htm . It won't kill you if you don't read it, but is HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommended, and not just by me ~_^  
  
*******  
  
*Zcccchh...*  
  
" Sora..."  
  
The female froze as her hand touched her refrigerator door. " Biyomon?" she called to the formless voice.  
  
" We've got a problem and I don't have much time to talk." the tone of the bird's voice matched her statement.  
  
Sora paused from getting a snack and went to sit down at the little dinner table near her kitchen. " What's going on?"  
  
" It seems that your power of love is fading away again," the shapeless voice spoke in her mind.  
  
Sora's eyes curled in a completely confused fashion.  
  
The voice made a deep sigh. " Guess I'll just give you all the info in one scoop, then. I hoped never to return these memories, but seeing this situation, I have no choice but to do so."  
  
Sora felt a huge charge go through her brain, and in an instant, previously forgotten memories of the few days before Christmas returned. Her power of love, Biyomon's suffering, the one thing that would change it all...  
  
That Christmas present...  
  
" Okay, I understand," Sora said slowly, still contemplating her past actions, " What came up, then?"  
  
" Yamato's previous love has somehow remembered," the voice replied, " Just make sure he stays with you, all right?"  
  
Sora's mother walked into the building at that moment, only to see her nodding to herself. Ignoring her daughter's awkwardness, she said, " Hey, Sora, that Yamato boy is waiting outside for you."  
  
****  
  
He thought it was best to improvise when Matt got there, so the three boys had nothing else to do but wait. Tai just sat back in his computer chair, occasionally flattening a crease in his blue fitness clothes. Bored, he shuffled through his mind for a flashback of the past...  
  
" AAH!!!"  
  
A tall, lanky figured boy with insanely long bangs approached the two boys... one of which was hiding behind the other, though the mass of brown hair sticking out easily gave him away.  
  
" Uh, hi," Matt said with a coy smile, " Don't mind my friend here, he's just sped."  
  
" I am NOT sped!" the bushy hair replied.  
  
Matt blinked. " You're usually agreeing when I say you're sped, Tai, is today an exception or something?"  
  
" Not really, it's just that..."  
  
The tall one quirked an eyebrow. " Uh, can I talk to the bushy haired kid?"  
  
Matt considered it for a second. " Sure, but I'm staying." And with that, he tried to step away, but a sudden grip on his waist kept him from moving.  
  
" AAH! Tai-"  
  
The brunette emitted a pitiful squeak and planted Matt in his place. Matt tried to struggle out, but the other had quite a powerful hold on his waist.  
  
" Come on, Tai, leggo..."  
  
" But Yamaaaaaa..."  
  
A giant sweatdrop suddenly appeared on the person with long bangs. The touchy scene was getting a little annoying...  
  
" Hey, Tai, my name's Bob," the man said, now that he knew the other person's name. " About that concert..."  
  
Another squeak came out from Tai as he began to squeeze Matt with his arms like a plush doll. Matt almost choked from the pressure, but stopped trying to resist.  
  
" Sorry about getting so uptight about you bumpin' into me, I wasn't in the brightest of moods. And I forgive you since you were in a rush to... uh..." Bob's cheeks burned a bright pink.  
  
And within the next minute, Tai was shaking hands with the new acquaintance. " You know what, you look a LOT like this guy I saw on this show called... uh..."  
  
" The one with all the politics and mechas? Yeah, I get that a lot..."  
  
A buzzing noise brought him out of his trance and into the present. His gaze wandered over to Daisuke and Ken, in their usual intimacy. The old mild jealousy kicked in, wishing that his loved one still loved him...  
  
" He's here! About time!" Daisuke leaped to his feet and charged toward the door.  
  
This was it, the moment Tai had been impatiently waiting for. Nervousness could barely describe what he felt.  
  
" Wait, Tai."  
  
The brunette paused at Ken's words. He gave him a questioning look. " Hm?"  
  
" Remember that you have the crest of Courage. Right now would be a great time to show that you're its owner," Ken replied, " Keep your hopes high."  
  
" Hope is TK's crest." the brunette remarked.  
  
Ken scowled slightly, clenching his teeth, " This is NOT the time..."  
  
" Yeah, I know," Tai immediately apologized, " I'm just cracking up, so don't mind me..."  
  
Ken was about to say something sympathetically, but Daisuke had begun turning the knob.  
  
The door opened, revealing the expected blonde behind it. Tai could have fallen apart right then and there by the mere sight of what he didn't have anymore, but he managed to control himself and invited the guest inside.  
  
" Uh... why don't we all go sit down on the couches?" Tai suggested, leading them a short way to the television area. When they arrived there moments later, nobody made a move to sit down anywhere. Ten seconds of awkwardness forced Daisuke to sit down, dragging Ken with him. Tai gave Matt a quick glance, out of questioning and just for the sake of looking at Yamato Ishida. The blonde sat down, and was indifferent when Tai followed, sitting close so their shoulders were almost touching.  
  
' He's got a lot more room on the couch, he doesn't have to get so...' Matt observed, casting a brief glance at the other male, ' but it's kinda neat being like-' a sudden compulsion made him brush the thought away.  
  
There was almost a full minute of silence. Daisuke and Ken both sat with their hands in their laps, and Tai kept making tiny, shy glances at Matt, twiddling his thumbs.  
  
And finally Daisuke's impulsiveness got to the better of him. " You know what? I'm gonna fix us something to eat. You hungry, Yamato-san?"  
  
" -San?" Matt replied, " I don't remember you naming me with any sort of respect at all."  
  
" Well, I started calling you that after I told you about... uh... and I found out that..." Daisuke blushed, " Tai, why don't YOU tell him? Ken, come on, let's see what we can find. You can raid cupboards, right?" He dragged Ken again into the kitchen. They would still be able to hear Tai and Matt's conversation there.  
  
Tai and Matt watched the pair scramble through the kitchen for a while, but Matt lost interest quickly and began working his fingers into the furniture. " So what was Daisuke talking about?"  
  
" Uh..." How would he explain it... " You ever notice how many similarities Daisuke and Ken have compared to us?"  
  
" Yeah, Daisuke has your eyes and Ken has mine," Matt replied in his casual half-stoic manner.  
  
Tai's posture sulked slightly. " Well, not just that, we have more in common than that..."   
  
" Like?"  
  
' To hell with going slow...' " They share a special relationship." Tai stated, turning away and blushing a deep red, ' He'll probably flip when he realizes what I'm talking about...'  
  
" What do you mean a special relationship?" Matt questioned.  
  
' Feh, figures he'd say that,' Tai thought, ' Just let it sink in for a bit...'  
  
And he did that. And Matt just sat there on the couch, looking innocently clueless.  
  
' Great,' he sighed, knowing Matt had no idea what he was saying whatsoever, ' Leave it to Matt to be this dense... that sounds like something he would say about me, actually...'  
  
He turned around to face Matt's eyes directly. " They're more than just best friends."  
  
Matt continued to look at him funny.  
  
Tai practically fell over. " God, you really ARE blonde, you know that?"  
  
" HEY!" Matt exclaimed, deeply offended, " Don't use those kind of stereotypes."  
  
" Yeah, I'm sorry, you're right, I shouldn't," Tai apologized dully. " It'd be kinda hypocritical, anyway..."  
  
" Huh?"  
  
Tai let out a small, sad sigh. ' Why can't he just get it through his mind?!? Sora really must've fucked it up... Than again, I take that back...'  
  
" You shouldn't be going out with Sora," he finally said flatly.  
  
" WHAT?!?" Matt shouted, " Tai, I don't know what's up with you lately, but what makes you think you can just--wait a second... you're jealous, aren't you?!?"  
  
Tai had reached the point where he lost his control over his conscious mind. " Yes. I'm jealous of Sora."  
  
Matt almost crossed his arms in satisfaction, yet Tai's statement didn't seem to click in his mind like how he thought it would...  
  
In the background, Daisuke and Ken's whispers simply added to Matt's suspicions...  
  
The brunette inwardly winced as realization dawned on the other, his face curling into an awkward expression. A deep silence hovered within the room, and now even Daisuke barely moved a muscle...  
  
For a fleeting moment, Tai saw something in the blonde's blue eyes. A look of understanding, confusion, love and hate...  
  
And then... it was so inaudible, Tai almost missed it...  
  
" I have to go."  
  
" What?" Tai immediately responded.  
  
" I... I can't be here," Matt started getting off the couch, bringing a hand to his forehead, "I feel kind of sick."  
  
Within a minute, Daisuke was experiencing Deja vu, as he craddled a sobbing Tai in his arms. Ken watched them for a while in the kitchen, and then glanced towards the door the blonde had rushed past, brushing a small strand of his dark hair behind his ear.   
  
' TK's Crest of Hope my ass.'  
  
****  
  
Tsuzuku (To be Continued...)  
  
****  
  
End notes: You know what? I'm getting sick of using most of the N/A names.. after writing Drops of Jupiter (Oh, glorious squishy Taito!), I've discovered that I like using their Japanese names so much more. ^^;;  
  
4 chapters are planned for this, but I dunno if that'll happen, I might go longer ^_^ But darn homework..  
  
*Whacks assignment on illogical assumptions about racial marriages in the mid-60s*  
  
Someone wanna help me out? ;_; I hate writing English papers... American Heritage ones I don't mind, but Miss Kubinski is insanely PICKY!!!!!!!  
  
Anyhow... ^^;; Please R/R! Sorry this chapter wasn't as long as I first intended to, but I didn't get writing to the part I wanted to in this chapter, so it'll carry on to the next chapter, which is why it might be longer than 4 chapters... if you're catching my drift.. ^^;;  
  
Splash  
http://www.zyfect.com/users/gottaito 


	5. Belief

*******  
Lost Star:  
That Same Beautiful Song Part 4  
*******  
  
Notes: After what seems like months (okay, it has been) this "chapter" is finally done...  
  
I'm mixing up NA and Japanese names, just whichever I feel like should fit ^^;;  
  
Less of the P.O.V. changing, but scene changes replace them =^.^=  
  
Some quick translations:  
Baka-Idiot  
Tadaima-I'm home  
Okaeri-Welcome back  
Hai-yes  
Wakata yo..-I know..  
Owari-End (yes, it's probably what you're thinking)  
  
****  
  
" Yes. I'm jealous of Sora."  
  
He.. he was... he.. did he just say the wrong thing? I mean, he looked nervous. Nervousness scrambles up your brain, and you can't think right when you're nervous. Hell, I'M nervous right now...  
  
Ow. Damn sidewalk crack. I don't usually trip on them...  
  
" You shouldn't be going out with Sora."  
  
And what is he to question my love life, anyhow? He's my friend... though he HAS been rather different lately. And he and Sora HAVE been out together in the past...  
  
There's Sora's house up ahead. I'll show him how to be jealous...  
  
****  
  
" Taichi, you've got to pull yourself together. Kari and TK will show up any minute now."   
  
For some reason, that only made him cry harder, wailing like the child he thought he had grown out of. Only one person could make him go this far...  
  
" Ken, I think Taichi's a little more sensitive than usual right now. Let him do what he wants." Daisuke said somewhat sternly, continuing to comfort the older one.  
  
Ken crossed his arms and turned away slightly. " Unless he wants to jump off one of the roller coasters in Odaiba..."  
  
Daisuke lifted an eyebrow. " What did you say?"  
  
" The Taichi I know wouldn't be sobbing like this," he explained in a monotone, " Sure, he would pout for a while, but someone or something would bring him out of his depression and he would be able to move on and solve the problem eventually. This..." he turned back around to face the other two, " ...is getting nowhere."  
  
Daisuke was reminded of the time when the Kaiser had captured Agumon and Taichi's reaction to it. It was Yamato who brought him out of depression that time. He and Ken had done the same for Taichi several times, but they were only temporary. Temporary because... HE wasn't there.  
  
" Taichi's going to need a lot more of our help than I thought."  
  
Ken looked at the goggle-headed boy for a moment. " I have a pretty good idea of where he went."  
  
****  
  
" Then again, I think we should have a plan first. I mean, we're jumping into enemy territory blindfolded!"  
  
Ken sighed at the boy taking protection with his back. " Don't back out on me now, Daisuke. I'm sure Yamato-san will be more passive toward us."  
  
" It's not Matt I'm worried about, baka! This is Sora's place! Who knows what nightmares await us..." grabbing onto Ken's side, he looked at the door in mock terror.  
  
" Great. Just great." Ken proceeded to ring the doorbell.  
  
At first, there was absolutely no response. Ken rang it again, but it wasn't until the fourth ring when the door flung open.  
  
" Ken, Daisuke. Do you guys need something?" said the blonde, arm still holding the door open and a somewhat irritated expression on his face.  
  
" Yes, we need to talk to you."  
  
Yamato practically glared daggers at the ex-genius, when Daisuke stepped out from his hiding spot-- just in time for Sora to appear in the narrow hallway, her hair completely disheveled. In the silence that followed, Daisuke looked between Yamato's tall, firm stance and Sora's flustered appearance. Extra thoughts flooded his mind, and out of nowhere, he winced and grabbed his hair with both hands in pain.  
  
Ken turned in surprise as Daisuke gave a loud scream and sunk to knees, still holding his head.  
  
" No... stop..."  
  
Worried and confused, Ken knelt down to figure out what was wrong. Yamato watched them in slight awe but was unable to do anything. Daisuke kept whimpering, and his goggles drooped past his eyes onto his shoulder bones.  
  
Ken glanced into the hallway, and caught something glowing, something PINK-- and it was gone. Daisuke collapsed at that moment, sweaty and unconscious.  
  
" Daisuke!" he cried out, bringing his lagging body closer to his.  
  
" Oh my, I better call for help!" Sora said, honest consideration in her voice.  
  
****  
  
" Is his condition bad? How is he?" Taichi blinked as Ken brushed some hair off of Daisuke's eyes.  
  
Ken glanced at the large haired brunette for a second, the hospital curtains behind him blurred. " He's completely fine. What worries me is what caused this."  
  
Taichi sighed in partial relief and sat down on the chair next to Ken's. " Did you get to talk to him?"  
  
Ken shook his head solemnly. " As soon as they brought us here they took off..."  
  
The brunette kept a straight face. " They..."  
  
He was well aware that Taichi knew whom he was referring to. But something seemed different this time. He had expected Tai to be more emotional...  
  
He smiled. Now they were getting somewhere.  
  
****  
  
School... band... music... it all seemed somewhat different for some reason now...  
  
The girls, bunched in groups and scattered throughout the hallway continued to stare at me. And I knew why they were staring. It wasn't because I had something stuck between my two front teeth, either. That woman Jun was in those crowds somewhere, feeling hatred towards what I had.  
  
And out of the blue, I was slammed against the lockers, my bag falling completely off my shoulder onto the ground. Gasps from the females silenced much of the other gossiping that was occurring.  
  
Strong green sleeved arms blocked my sides, and combined with the locker behind me and him, I was trapped.  
  
" Why do you love her?" Taichi demanded.  
  
" WHAT?"  
  
" Why do you love her? Is there an actual reason or is it just for the sake of being with another woman, or WHAT?"  
  
It took me a while for the questions to sink in. Why DID I... wait a moment... " I don't have to answer that to you! Mind your own business."  
  
I tried to scramble out of his grip but he held me firmly to the wall. " Don't answer it for ME! Answer it for yourself! Now why do you love her?!?"  
  
Ouch. He had me there... A reason for myself... I honestly couldn't think of anything. She was nice, but so were so many other people. In fact, I wasn't even attracted to her. But then there was Tai, right there, his close presence radiating heat... But still... What was I saying? Ugh...  
  
I looked straight into his eyes, his look concentrated on me. It intimidated me, it really did. In a way I never thought was possible.  
  
" I know exactly why I love her, now move out of the way! I have places to go. We're in school, you know."  
  
And with that, I shoved him away (I had to muster up a lot of force...), the crowds of females continuing their stares, now with good reason.  
  
****  
  
Friday... ah yes, school was finished. For the week, at least...  
  
" Yama-"  
  
" Not now, Sora, not now," God, what a killer headache... some girly sympathy was the LAST thing I needed.  
  
" Is there something wrong?"  
  
How in the hell could she ask that question when...  
  
" YES, THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG!"  
  
" Wh.. what is it, Yama?" she asked, innocent as ever. Damn, she had an annoying voice. Why hadn't I realized that sooner? But then, a LOT of girls had annoying voices, unlike guys, who-  
  
What the hell am I saying? The things Tai said to me were really driving my head insane. Agh...  
  
****  
  
When Daisuke woke up, he had no memory of what had happened at Sora's. Ken seemed reluctant to let the incident go, but Daisuke insisted that they concentrated on Taichi's dilemma rather than some sporadic event. So it was on that Friday when he came back home when he called up his idol...  
  
" TAICHI!!! GUESS WHAT I FOUND?!?!?"  
  
" Ah, not so loud! My ears.."  
  
" It's a video tape of you and Yamato-san! I found it somewhere under my bed when Veemon dropped his rice ball under it."  
  
" My God, are you serious? What's on it?"  
  
" I dunno, the beginning just has you two and your Digimon having a long chat in some stuffy dressing room and then you leave, but Yamato-san gives you a kiss right before you go-- a wild one, might I add. Oh yeahhh... The only problem is, there's no sound and it's in black and white. And I don't ever remember making a recording of-"  
  
" COME OVER TO MY HOUSE RIGHT NOW!!!!!"  
  
" AH! Now YOU'RE the one who's too loud!"  
  
" Sorry.... but... but... THAT'S THE ONE! That was the last thing I remember before this whole friggin' screw up began!"  
  
" The dressing room thing?"  
  
" Yeah! At the Christmas concert! Get over here! We have to show this to Yamato as soon as possible!"  
  
" Um... all right, but I'm gonna bring along Ken."  
  
" That's great. Just... get over here."  
  
He hung up just when it dawned on him. " Shit. How the hell do I get Yamato to watch the tape?"  
  
****  
  
" Cruel, yes. But it WILL work." The raven-haired boy reassured.  
  
Three boys stood outside of the Ishida residence, waiting for an answer. As expected, Mr. Ishida opened the door, warmly greeting them and inviting them inside.  
  
" So if what I'm hearing is right, Sora literally IS the evil person in this situation."  
  
" From what we know, unless this is all happening from an outside source," Ken specified. " Yamato-san will be home soon, right?"  
  
Mr. Ishida grinned. " Yep. Tai and I can settle things from here, so you two can run off now."  
  
Daisuke's eyes dropped. " You make it sound like we're kids."  
  
" You always will be in my world," Mr. Ishida smirked, waving to them as they wandered away.  
  
" All right, Tai. I don't mean to play favorites here, but to put it blandly that Sora girl peeved me off ever since the Myotismon incident. Now go to your place."  
  
Taichi looked a bit shocked at the revelation, but nonetheless was enthusiastic to continue the plan.  
  
****  
  
" Tadaima."  
  
" Okaeri, Yamato," Mr. Ishida casually replied, reading a newspaper at the dinner table. " Guess what? If you watch that video that's in your room with the TV that's now there, you can keep the TV."  
  
Yamato smiled tiredly. " What is this, a scam to get me to watch a video about following your footsteps for my career?"  
  
" Not exactly. Just take a look, will ya? Watch the whole thing, or it doesn't count. Just press the play button when you get in."  
  
" Hai, hai... wakata yo..."  
  
Free TV offers weren't common for him, but he was too confused to dig deeper on the subject. So he just ambled into his room and pressed the play button like he was told to.  
  
At first, it was only silent static, but eventually it developed into a black and white picture at quite a strong angle. It was almost like one of those illusion mirrors that deformed one's body, in this case everything was almost bird's-eye view. However, the large coat stack hanger seemed completely in distance compared to the bright make-up accessories in the front. He and Gabumon were in the room, when he went to open the door right next to the "camera."  
  
Even in the fuzzy black and white, he could still tell it was Tai who latched onto him a split second later.  
  
Watching the television with full attention now, his eyes watered for a moment before he retained control.  
  
Agumon appeared not long after, and Gabumon immediately led him into the far corner to have a conversation. He and Taichi spoke for a moment, though the real-time Matt had trouble reading lips, as there was no sound.  
  
' Just what... IS... this... It seems so...'  
  
The two interacted with the Digimon for about a minute, and then Taichi went to fetch the coat he had taken off when he arrived.  
  
And then... he couldn't even try to describe to himself what happened next. It was like watching a movie he had never seen before, and he didn't even feel connected to his own self on the screen. Still... how did that... WHEN did that happen?  
  
There were some moments of silence around the room as Yamato watched himself standing in the room, confused. But not even half as confused as he was at that moment, probably.  
  
The screen melded into static again, and he let it run for several minutes to see if there was any more. Convinced that it was finished, he stopped the tape and turned off the television. He held his forehead to try to clear his mind a bit, and then headed over to his bed-- and jumped.  
  
The main subject of his rampant thoughts was sitting right there.  
  
" T... Tai..."  
  
The brunette had his arms crossed, an almost defiant look on his face. How come he didn't notice him when he walked in the room? Was he there the whole time?  
  
As if reading his mind, Taichi voiced, " It doesn't matter, Yamato. Come over here. We need to talk."  
  
Reluctantly, Yamato took his place next to Tai, making sure he got enough space. There was uncomfortable silence, as Yamato fidgeted in his seat and Taichi kept a strict face.  
  
Finally...  
  
" Okay, your dad's out on an errand and won't be back for a while. It's just us two in this house right now."  
  
Suddenly, Matt jerked his head to glance at him nervously and his breathing started getting faster.  
  
' Hmph. What a surprise.' Taichi thought to himself sardonically.  
  
Just as he thought the big-haired guy would, Taichi began to advance on Yamato. He grabbed his shoulders and approached him closely, but made no more direct contact.  
  
" Taichi, stop it!" he shouted in trepidation. He began to struggle as he was pushed down onto the bed. ' Damn soccer playing...'  
  
" Matt, please, calm down!" Taichi pinned down his wrists and hovered over him.  
  
" How can I? You're fucking molesting me, you ass!"  
  
Taichi gave Yamato an intense stare. " Hmph. A few weeks ago you would've smiled at me for doing this." He gave the blonde a moment to think and triumphed silently at the blush that showed up.  
  
" Come on, admit it Yamato. Something inside you seems empty, despite the fact that your life is normal. Hell, that's EXACTLY why you feel empty."  
  
Yamato's eyes darted around frantically. " What?!? You're talking bull, man."  
  
" No, I'm not, Matt. I'm not. And you know it," Taichi stated," Listen to yourself for once, not what the world says to you... that includes me."  
  
He kept his hold on the blonde down, shoulders languid and waiting patiently. Yamato continued to look somewhat uneasy, and it was apparent he wasn't quite comfortable.  
  
" Don't worry, no one is going to yell your brain out for thinking too much. Try it," Taichi assured, " please."  
  
Yamato's breathing slowly paced itself to deep breathes, and he stared at the distant wall for a moment. ' If it'll get him off, might as well do so...'  
  
He tried to think absolutely neutral thoughts for several extremely long minutes, but as Taichi's presense became gradually closer he found it more difficult to block out certain thoughts. Not long later, Yamato was forced to turn his face, and he and Taichi were nose to nose. ' It would really help if he didn't look at me with that insanely calm face. Could it be that he's... FAMILIAR with this...? Hell, this feels familiar to ME...'  
  
His breathing paced faster as Taichi continued to get closer, his face moving past his cheek. ' Familiar... this feeling... was the video truly something from the past? I've never felt this way with Sora... Aah.'  
  
Barely realizing his chest was now heaving against Tai's, flickers of fragmented images zoomed through his mind. ' What...?' Happy times, beautiful times... the views came and went like a slide show on crack.  
  
" Come on, this Bob can't be THAT bad..." " But..."  
  
" The one and only Yagami Taichi, who can put sixteen candy canes inside a breast pocket."  
  
" Hey, that's YOUR breast pocket, baka. And it looks really delicious right now."  
  
" How many times have I told you not to creep behind like that when I'm practicing?"  
  
" There's just something... wanting me to..."  
  
' These are...'  
  
Taichi smelled Yamato's silky hair, missing that mind-spinning scent.  
  
' These are memories of me... with Taichi...'  
  
The brunette blew gently on Yamato's ear, sending shivers that tingled all through his nervous system. Taichi meld his face with Yamato's, loving having him close once more.  
  
Lost in reliving old feelings, Yamato's eyes fluttered involuntarily. Taichi shifted his hands from the blonde's wrists to his palms, grasping them possessively. He rubbed his face against the other and opened an eye as Yamato let out a completely untamed groan.  
  
Tai lifted himself up just enough so he was face to face with Yamato again. " Yama..."  
  
Yamato breathed roughly against him. " Shut up."  
  
Taichi was slightly taken back by Yamato's fierce expression. A large clutter of golden blonde hair stuck to Yamato's face, lightly covered in sweat.  
  
His crystalline eyes still narrowed dangerously, he growled in a husky voice, " I'm only listening to myself right now." And with that, Yamato moved forward and forcefully covered Taichi's gaping mouth with his own.  
  
Hesitating for only a moment, Taichi feverishly attacked back, his hands creeping up to meet with Yamato's interlacing them high above their heads...  
  
"I'll turn my courage into wings  
And fly away soon  
Now matter when  
I will always believe in you..."  
  
****  
  
~*O*W*A*R*I*~  
  
****  
  
Notes: Oh, wait, there's an epilogue short I wrote carelessly for the hell of it, for those who wanted revenge... =^.^=  
  
****  
  
Sora fell down on the spot, clutching her heart as if she was having a stroke. "Biyomon..."  
  
" Find someone, quickly! You don't want me to die, do you? FIND SOMEONE!"  
  
" What... Biyomon, what're you talking about..."  
  
" You've lost your love! It's gone! I'm... I'm..."  
  
All of a sudden, all the pain left her, and Sora was able to stand up once again. A dark red light formed in front of her, and a patch of pink feathers appeared from it. " Biyomon!"  
  
" Sora, I'm fine... I'm fine. I managed to freeze myself in this digivolution. But now... it's permanent."  
  
" Biyomon-"  
  
" Check your answer machine, Sora."  
  
" Huh? All right..."  
  
Carrying a weakened Biyomon to her room, she saw the large number of new messages on her machine, and pressed the "play all" button.  
  
*Beep*  
  
" Hey, this is Jun. STAY AWAY FROM MATT!"  
  
Sora looked back at the machine, disgusted. " Okay..."  
  
*Beep* " This is Daisuke. Lay off him!"  
  
Now her attention was caught, and she listened in silence...  
  
*Beep* " This is Ken. Lay off him."  
  
*Beep* " This is Akira and Yutaka from the band. Lay off him!"  
  
*Beep* " This is the soccer coach. Lay off him."  
  
*Beep* " This is Bob. Lay off him, will ya?"  
  
*Beep* " This is the fangirl club. Stop stealing our Yama-chan!"  
  
*Beep* " This is Mr. Ishida. You won't be getting my permission to marry Yamato Ishida. Forgive me."  
  
*Beep* " Um... this is Takashi from the band. As much as I might appreciate it more, you better lay the hell off Matt. I know how all those music group affairs go. You should get yourself out of it before you get hurt."  
  
*Beep* " This is Tai. Lay off him."  
  
*Beep* " This is Matt... Lay off me."  
  
She stared, shocked and unable to say anything. There was a long silence, and then the sound of a hang up. She automatically thought that was the last of the messages, and she got up from her seat, when...  
  
*Beep* " Hey, this is Tai again! I've got a news for you, Sora!"  
  
She groaned. Why the hell was Tai in this?  
  
"Yama is mine."  
  
Sora blinked. That's all she could really do.  
  
*Beep*   
  
****  
  
End notes: Ahhhh, I feel relieved. *turns into pile of goo with a completely relaxed face...* But maybe I'll do more Lost Star someday. But there it is, hope you like it... ^_^ R+R constructively, and I will love you. =^.^=  
  
Splash  
http://gottaito.cjb.net 


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